Ricky Donnell Ross
Born	(1960-01-31) January 31, 1960 (age 52)[1] Troup, Texas, U.S.
Alias(es)	Freeway
Charge(s)	Conspiracy to illegally traffic cocaine (100kg)
Penalty	Life, then commuted to 20 years by a U.S. Federal Court Of Appeals
Status	Incarcerated in 1996, released in 2009

Ricky Donnell Ross (born January 30, 1960^[1]), also known as "Freeway" Rick Ross, is an American convicted drug trafficker best known for the "drug empire" that he presided over in Los Angeles, California, in the early-1980s.^[2]

Biography[link]

The nickname "Freeway" came from Ross's ownership of several properties along the Los Angeles-area Harbor Freeway as well as the existence of a freeway near his childhood home.^[3] During the height of his drug dealing, Ross claims to have sold "$3 million in one day."^[4] According to the Oakland Tribune, "In the course of his rise, prosecutors estimate that Ross exported several tons of cocaine to New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and elsewhere, and made more than $600 million in the process."^[5]

In 1996, Ross was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of trying to purchase more than 100 kilograms of cocaine from a federal agent. Ross became the subject of controversy later that year when a series of articles by journalist Gary Webb in the San Jose Mercury News brought to light a connection between one of Ross's cocaine sources, Danilo Blandon, and the CIA as part of the Iran-Contra scandal.^[6] The decision in Ross's case was brought to a federal court of appeals where his sentence was reduced to 20 years. His sentence was then reduced further due to being a model prisoner, and he was moved to a halfway house in California in March 2009. Ross was released from imprisonment on September 29, 2009.^[7]

Cocaine use and business[link]

Cocaine introduction[link]

It was through Fraser Brown, a college friend, that Ross was introduced to cocaine. Through Fraser, Ross found a connection to purchase cheap Nicaraguan cocaine: two Nicaraguan exiles, Oscar Danilo Blandon and Norwin Meneses Cantarero. Ross began distributing the cocaine around US$10,000 less per kilo than the average street price, his point of distribution being the Bloods and Crips street gangs. Eventually, Ross purchased his cocaine directly from Blandón and Meneses. By 1982, Ross had received his moniker of "Freeway Ricky," and is claimed to have been selling up to US$3 million worth of cocaine per day—and purchasing 455 kilos of cocaine a week. One of Ross' main dealers was his child hood friend Billy Moulton. ^[4] In addition to cocaine, Ross was also able to purchase surveillance equipment, such as minicameras and recording equipment. Some of the gang members that worked for him bought expensive jewelry and flashy cars as well as weapons ranging from Uzi submachine guns to semi-automatic pistols to fight rivals. Ricky was also known for his rampant use of cannabis, or marijuana, rumored to have allegedly smoked with famous rapper Snoop Dogg and President of Hostess treats Company.

Drug empire[link]

With thousands of employees, Ross claimed he operated drug sales not only in Los Angeles but in places across the country including St. Louis, New Orleans, Texas, Kansas City, Oklahoma, Indiana, Cincinnati, North Carolina, South Carolina, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Seattle. He has said many times that his most lucrative sales came from the Ohio area. He made similar claims in a 1996 PBS interview. According to the Oakland Tribune, "In the course of his rise, prosecutors estimate that Ross exported several tons of cocaine to New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and elsewhere, and made more than $600 million in the process."^[8] Adjusting for inflation using the Consumer Price Index, that is more than 1.6 billion dollars. ^[9]

Iran-Contra involvement[link]

Ross's capture was facilitated by his career-long dealer Oscar Danilo Blandon, who "set up" Ross. Blandón had close ties with the Contras, and had met with Contra leader Enrique Bermúdez on several occasions. Blandón was the link between the CIA and Contras during the Iran-Contra affair. Gary Webb interviewed Ross several times before breaking the story in 1996. Ross claims that the reason he was unfairly tried initially was because of his involvement in the scandal. Blandón received a 24-month sentence for his drug trafficking charges, and following his release, was hired by the Drug Enforcement Administration where he was salaried at US$42,000. Blandón was not a U.S. citizen/national, and is the only known foreigner not to be deported following conviction on drug trafficking charges in U.S. history. The INS was ordered to grant Blandón a green card, despite the criminal convictions, to allow him to work for the DEA. The DEA claims that they no longer employ Blandón, and his whereabouts are unknown.^[10]

Lawsuit against rapper Rick Ross[link]

On June 18, 2010, Ross sued rapper Rick Ross (real name William L. Roberts) for using his name.^[11] Freeway Ricky Ross filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Ross in a California Federal Court.^[11] Jay-Z had been called to testify in the lawsuit, as he was CEO of Def Jam when Ross was signed to the label.^[11] The reformed drug kingpin was looking for $10 million in compensation in the lawsuit.^[11]

Also, the release of rapper Rick Ross' album, Teflon Don, was threatened to be blocked by Freeway Ricky Ross. A week after the lawsuit was filed, the rapper responded to the charges: "It’s like owning a restaurant, you’re gonna have a few slip and falls. You get lawsuits, you deal with them, and get them out of your way ... sometimes you lose."^[12] He then denied rumors that he would change his name to "Ricky Rozay" as a consequence of the lawsuit.

After the lawsuit was dismissed on July 3, 2010,^[13] the album Teflon Don was released as scheduled on July 20, 2010. A federal judge ruled that the case should be refiled in California state court because it fell under California state law. Ross refiled the case with the State of California and the federal case is on appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.^[14] The federal case was appealed to higher court, state case was filed in 2011 in California.

Since then Freeway Ricky Ross has refiled in Los Angeles Superior court with several publicity rights claims. Depositions have been ongoing. Trial is set for early May 2012. The case has been since dismissed by a judge in the Los Angeles Superior court. ^[15]

In popular culture[link]

Ross was a key figure in filmmaker Kevin Booth's documentary, American Drug War: The Last White Hope. The second episode of the first season of BET's American Gangster documentary series was focused on the story of Ricky Ross and his connection to the Iran-Contra scandal.^[10] While in Texarkana prison, Ricky Ross became the first federal inmate to create a social networking website.^[16] Ross is played by actor Glenn Plummer in the film, 100 Kilos.^[17] Ross was recently featured in VH1's critically acclaimed Planet Rock History of Crack and Hip Hop Documentary. The documentary was a look into the interconnection between top hip hop talents such as Jay Z, Snoop and Wu Tang and the growth of the Crack Epidemic. Freeway Rick Ross was an integral part of the show, along with the prior listed talents. ^[18]

In the song "My Favorite Mutiny" by The Coup, rapper Boots claims the Central Intelligence Agency directed Ross to distribute crack: "before the CIA told Ricky Ross to put crack in the sack."^[19] The song "Mathematics" by Mos Def contains a reference to the link between Ross and the CIA: "Nearly half of America's largest cities is one-quarter black/ That's why they gave Ricky Ross all the crack."^[20] In the Murs song "The Science" (from his 2008 release Murs for President) the rapper says "...and they gave us dope (Crack)/From the CIA by the way of Nicaragua/Shipped to Rick Ross/He's the Black Godfather." He continues to rap about conspiracies surrounding the CIA's dealings with Ross throughout the song.

American rapper Rick Ross acquired his moniker from Ross, much to the original's chagrin as discussed when Ricky Ross appeared on the Joe Rogan podcast.

Personal life[link]

Rapper Slim da Mobster is Ross' nephew.^[21]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Freewayrick.com Rick Ross's Home Page
• Freewayenterprise.com Rick Ross's Social Media Site
• Jimmy DaSaint and Freeway Ricky Ross's Book Black Scarface
• AmericanDrugWar.com AmericanDrugWar.com
• Profile on the show American Gangster
• Freeway Ricky Ross Timeline - November 2, 2006 Streetgangs.com
• How John Kerry exposed the Contra-cocaine scandal – Salon
• The CIA-Contra-Crack Cocaine Controversy: A Review of the Justice Department's Investigations and Prosecutions – U.S. Department of Justice
• [Interviewed on Vocalo.org] [1]
• [Interviewed on latalkradio.com] [2]
• Interview with Freeway Ricky Ross by Dominic Streatfeild

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2010)

Ricky Ross, born Richard Alexander Ross^[1] (22 December 1957, Dundee, Scotland) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and broadcaster, most famously for his work with rock band Deacon Blue.

Biography[link]

In 1984, and before the formation of Deacon Blue, Ross had released a solo album, So Long Ago, on the Glasgow independent label Sticky Records. After the band's breakup in 1994, Ross resurrected his solo career and Epic released his second solo album What You Are in 1996. As Ross's first solo album So Long Ago was a minor release, What You Are became his first solo release on a major label and as such is generally regarded as his debut solo album.

Ross released another album, New Recording, on his own label in 1997.

After Deacon Blue's reunion in 1999 and the release of their Walking Back Home and Homesick albums, Ross entered into a new publishing deal with Warner Chappell UK, and released another solo album, This Is the Life, through Chrysalis Records's short-lived Papillion label, in 2002. Papillion had released Deacon Blue's Homesick album the previous year.

As part of his publishing deal with Warner Chappell, Ross began co-writing with other artists. He currently spends more time writing than on his solo career or Deacon Blue projects. To date he has written for and with James Blunt, Ronan Keating, KT Tunstall, David Sneddon, Cathy Burton, Gareth Gates, Emma Bunton, Will Young and Jamie Cullum among others.

Ross is married to fellow Deacon Blue singer Lorraine McIntosh.^[2] In 2005, Ross released the album Pale Rider through P3 Music.

In September 2009 Ross and McIntosh released The Great Lakes, an album on the Cooking Vinyl label, under the name McIntoshRoss.

Ross currently presents Another Country with Ricky Ross on BBC Radio Scotland and has covered for Bob Harris and Dermot O'Leary on BBC Radio 2. He also occasionally broadcasts for Radio 2 from the yearly Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow.

Albums[link]

• So Long Ago (1984)
• What You Are (1996)
• New Recording (1997)
• This Is the Life (2002)
• Pale Rider (2005)

EPs[link]

• The Undeveloped Heart EP (1998)

Singles[link]

References[link]

William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), better known by his stage name Rick Ross (often stylized as RICK RO$$), is an American rapper. He derived his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection. Ross founded the record label Maybach Music Group, on which he released his studio albums Deeper Than Rap and Teflon Don, Ross was also the first artist signed to Diddy's management company Ciroc Entertainment. In early 2012, MTV named Ross as the Hottest MC In The Game.^[3]

Early life[link]

William Leonard Roberts II was born in Coahoma County, Mississippi.^[1] and raised in Carol City, Florida, near Miami.^[2] After graduating from Carol City Senior High School, he later attended the historically black college Albany State University on a football scholarship.^[4]

Music career[link]

After being signed to Suave House Records, former label for rap duo 8Ball & MJG, he eventually signed a deal with Slip-n-Slide Records, which has been under the Def Jam umbrella since 2006. While signed to Slip-n-Slide, Ross toured with fellow rapper Trick Daddy and made guest performances on other Slip-n-Slide albums.^[2]

[edit] Port of Miami (2006)

His debut album Port of Miami was released in August 2006 and debuted at the top spot on the Billboard 200 album chart, with sales at 187,000 units after its first week.^[5][6] Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone magazine predicted that it would be "the summer's biggest rap record".^[7] The second single was "Push It", which samples "Scarface (Push It to the Limit)", the theme song off the gangster film Scarface.^[8] The music video for "Push It" was modeled after the film.^[9] During that time, Ross made guest performances on two singles from DJ Khaled's debut Listennn... the Album: "Born-N-Raised" and "Holla at Me". Port of Miami received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America on November 8, 2006.

[edit] Trilla (2008)

In March 2008, his second album Trilla was released and, as its predecessor Port of Miami had, debuted at the top of the Billboard 200.^[10] Its lead single "Speedin'" featuring R. Kelly peaked at #121 on the Billboard Hot 100; the next one, "The Boss" featuring T-Pain peaked at #17 on the Hot 100. The third single "Here I Am" featured Nelly and Avery Storm.^[11] MTV News ranked Ross on the fourth spot in its 2008 "Hottest MCs In The Game" list among ten rappers.^[12] The fourth single "This Is The Life" featured Trey Songz and was released in July.

[edit] Deeper Than Rap (2009)

"I look at the game and the business and all different aspects, it's a lot of great lyricists on the corner that will never properly understand the business and know how to market themselves and get in a position where they can gain capital. I look at all the strategies people use and what made them successful. What made Birdman just as relevant today after selling 50 million records? That intrigues me. To see the class of Jay-Z, his accomplishments and see how he sits backs and accurately makes his moves."^[13]

A track from the album called "Valley of Death" was what stood out to MTV reporters. In the song, Ross speaks briefly on his controversial stint as a prison guard. "Keep it trilla, nigga, never had a gun and badge," which he stresses, leaving the word that he was indeed an officer of the law. "Kept a nice watch, smoking on a hundred sack/ Back in the day I sold crack for some nice kicks/ Skippin' school, I saw my friend stabbed with an ice pick/ Can't criticize niggas trying to get jobs/ Better get smart, young brother, live yours." Later, he implies that while he was working as a corrections officer, he was on the streets. "Only lived once and I got two kids/ And for me to feed them, I'll get two gigs," he raps. "I'll shovel shit, I'll C.O./ So we can bow our heads and pray over the meatloaf." Although, he still provided no explanation for lying about being a C.O. to begin with, nor did he explain why he failed to pay child support for his children.^[14][15]

The cover of the May 2009 issue of XXL magazine, titled "Rick Ross Up in Smoke", featured Ross wearing a pair of Louis Vuitton sunglasses. After publication, a spokesperson for the luxury-goods maker contacted XXL to inform them that Ross was sporting fake sunglasses in the cover image.^[16] It was later revealed that the rapper was wearing authentic Louis Vuitton sunglasses which were altered by Jacob Bernstein, known as "The Sunglass Pimp". Bernstein defended his customizations despite Louis Vuitton's insistence that such modification and resale of trademarked property is not legal.^[17]

[edit] Teflon Don and other works (2010)

Rick Ross released his fourth studio album entitled Teflon Don, which was released on July 6, 2010. The lead is "Super High" featuring Ne-Yo. Actress Stacey Dash made an appearance in the music video. A second official single was released titled "Live Fast, Die Young" which features and is produced by Kanye West. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 selling 176,000 copies in its first week.

In November 2010, rapper and frequent collabourator, Diddy, who in 2009 signed Ross to a management deal with his Ciroc Entertainment, announced from his YouTube account, that him and Ross are working on an EP together, which is going to be released in 2011.^{[dated info]} A single has been released for the project, called "Another One".^[18]

[edit] God Forgives, I Don't (2011 - present)

Rick Ross had also announced the release of his next album, "God Forgives, I Don't", for December 13, 2011, however it was confirmed on November 17, 2011 it has been pushed back for release in 2012.^[19][20]

Rick Ross premiered two songs from his new album "God Forgives, I Don't", titled "You The Boss" and "I Love My Bitches".^[21]

Along with his music projects, Rick Ross was nominated by The Source as its "Man of the Year".^[22]

Rick Ross performed at BET Awards 2011, which aired on June 26, 2011.^[23] He also received a nomination for Best Male Hip Hop Artist.^[24] In early 2012, Ross was named the Hottest MC In The Game.^[3]

Personal life[link]

Correctional officer photos[link]

In July 2008, The Smoking Gun produced details linking Ross' social security number to an eighteen month stint as a correctional officer at the South Florida Reception Center, along with a photograph purporting to be Ross in his correctional officer uniform.^[25] Ross initially denied that the photograph was of him;^[26] after overwhelming evidence of his past came into the public's eye, Ross later admitted that he did work as a correctional officer in Florida during the early 1990s.^[27] In a 2008 interview with AllHipHop.com,^[28] "Freeway" Ricky Ross, claimed offense that Roberts used his name and identity when he learned that The Smoking Gun posted documents revealing Roberts' previous employment as a Florida correctional officer.^[29]

Legal issues[link]

Mugshot of Rick Ross taken in 2008.

In January 2008, Ross was arrested on gun and marijuana charges. During a deposition of Officer Rey Hernandez, a Miami Beach cop who arrested Ross, Ross's lawyer, Allan Zamren, asked Hernandez why Ross’s case was assigned to the gang task force. The officer stated that it was because Ross claimed affiliation with Carol City Cartel and other known gang members. Zamren then pressed Hernandez for a personal link between Ross and the gang members, but ultimately one could not be established.^[30]

In August 2008, YouTube entertainer DJ Vlad filed a lawsuit against Ross for assault and battery. Vlad claimed Ross organized an ambush on him at the 2008 Ozone Awards in Houston, Texas for asking questions about his past as a correctional officer.^[31]

On June 18, 2010, Freeway Ricky Ross sued Rick Ross for using his name,^[32] filing a copyright infringement lawsuit in a California Federal Court.^[32] Jay-Z had been called to testify in the lawsuit, as he was CEO of Def Jam when Ross/Roberts was signed.^[32] The reformed drug kingpin was looking for 10 million dollars in the lawsuit.^[32] Also, the release of his album, Teflon Don, was threatened to be blocked by Freeway Ricky Ross. A week after the filing of the lawsuit, Rick Ross responded to the charges: "It’s like owning a restaurant, you’re gonna have a few slip and falls. You get lawsuits, you deal with them, and get them out your way…sometimes you lose."^[33] He then denied rumors that he would change his name to "Ricky Rozay" as a consequence of the lawsuit. The lawsuit was thrown out of court on July 3, 2010^[34] and his album, Teflon Don, was released on July 20 as scheduled.

On March 26, 2011, Ross was arrested in Shreveport for possession of marijuana. According to the police records, a strong odor of marijuana was detected from his room at the Hilton in Downtown Shreveport.^[35]

Religion[link]

Rick Ross is a Christian,^[36] and in an interview with Corey "Coco Brother" Condrey on Lift Every Voice, he indicated that "I had told myself at one point no matter what I go through, I never question God."^[37] In addition, Ross indicated that he prays every time he goes on stage to perform.^[38]

Seizures[link]

On October 14, 2011 Rick Ross suffered two seizures in the same day, once in the morning and once again early evening. Following the morning seizure, he was unconscious and CPR was being performed. He did, however, post a video to his Twitter account later in the day saying that he was OK.^{[citation needed]} Ross boarded another plane later in the day and suffered another seizure. On October 14, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital confirmed that Ross had been admitted to the emergency room. TMZ, who first reported the seizure, updated their story originally posted at 4:45 PST, stating that Ross was in stable condition.^{[citation needed]}

Feud with 50 Cent[link]

In January 2009, Ross started a feud with rapper 50 Cent because he supposedly looked at him the wrong way at the BET Awards. 50 Cent told news sources that he did not remember seeing Ross there.^[39] In late January, "Mafia Music", by Ross, leaked onto the Internet. There were several lines that seemed to diss 50 Cent. Days later, 50 Cent released "Officer Ricky (Go Head, Try Me)" in response to Ross's disparaging remarks on his "Mafia Music" song.

Before going to Venezuela, 50 Cent uploaded a video entitled "Warning Shot," wherein he stated: "Rick Ross- I'mma fuck your life up for fun." In addition, 50 Cent released the first of a series of "Officer Ricky" cartoons. Early in February, 50 Cent once again made a video which he uploaded to YouTube in which he interviewed "Tia", the mother of one of Ross's children. She verifies that he was a correctional officer and claims his whole persona is fake and fraudulent.^[40] On Thursday, February 5, 2009, Game, who 50 Cent has a long-standing "beef" with, called up Seattle R&B station KUBE. When asked about the beef between 50 Cent and Ross, Game sided with 50 Cent and said that things are not looking good for Ross. He offered to help, stating, "Rick Ross, holla at your boy, man," and, "50 eating you, boy."^[41] On his album Deeper Than Rap, Ross references 50 Cent in the song "In Cold Blood". A video for the song was released that portrayed 50 Cent's mock funeral. Upon release, Ross stated that he has ended 50 Cent's career.^[42] That same day Ross released a new diss track called "Push 'Em Over The Edge". The next day 50 Cent released the controversial video "A Psychic Told Me", dissing DJ Khaled. On February 12, 50 Cent responded with "Tia Told Me", along with Lloyd Banks' response "Officer Down" and Tony Yayo's "Somebody Snitched".

In an interview, 50 Cent said Ross is "Albert From CB4. You ever seen the movie? He's Albert," he added. "It never gets worse than this. You get a guy that was a correctional officer come out and base his entire career on writing material from a drug dealer's perspective."^[43]

Discography[link]

Solo albums[link]

• 2006: Port of Miami
• 2008: Trilla
• 2009: Deeper Than Rap
• 2010: Teflon Don
• 2012: God Forgives, I Don't ^[20]

Maybach Music Group Albums[link]

• 2011: Self Made Vol. 1 (with Maybach Music Group)
• 2012: Self Made Vol. 2 (with Maybach Music Group)^[44]

Collaboration albums[link]

• 2009: Custom Cars & Cycles (with Triple C's)
• TBA: Bugatti Boyz (with Diddy)^[45][46]

Compilation albums[link]

• 2007: Rise to Power

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rick Ross

• Rick Ross Official Def Jam Website
• Rick Ross at the Internet Movie Database

Edwin Laureano Rosa Vazquez (October 15, 1981), known mononymously as Ñengo Flow is a Puerto Rican reggaetón and hip hop singer and composer. He was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico and grew up in Bayamón, Puerto Rico where he would get his start in the music business. It was there that from a young age he would develop interest in the world of urban music. His lyric content came from personal experiences in his neighborhood with other children and classmates. It is not until age 14 when Edwin Rosa was first presented on stage in the neighborhood where he lived in a community movement. There he discovered his mission and dream in life to be an advocate of life in the neighborhood and the streets in his town vent to his experiences in his lyrics.^[1]

Singing career[link]

After a few years the name “Ñengo Flow,” became known, baptizing the name as a subject of his community. His beginnings as an artist started by releasing a mixtape with colleagues and friends. It came to be heard on Univision. This allowed him to easily release his first studio album Flow Callejero in 2005. He would continue to release mixtapes including El Combo Que No Se Deja in 2008 and La Verdadera Calle in 2009. He would also appear on various reggaetón and hip hop compilation albums including Los Anormales (2004), Sangre Nueva (2005), DJ Joe - Abusando del Género (2006). In 2011, he launched his highly acclaimed mixtape Real G4 Life and in 2012 Real G4 Life 2 as well as a Real G4 Life 2.5. Real G4 Life 2 peaked at number 75 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart while the 2.5 edition peaked at number 61 on the same chart.^[2] Also in 2012, he would appear on various artists' album including Ivy Queen's Musa while also providing uncredited vocals to the song "La Killer".^[3][4]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• 2005: Flow Callejero

Mixtapes[link]

• 2008: El Combo Que No Se Deja
• 2011: Real G4 Life
• 2012: Real G4 Life 2
• 2012: Real G4 Life 2.5

See also[link]

	Puerto Rico portal
	Latin American music portal
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• List of famous Puerto Ricans

References[link]

Frank Matthews (26 December 1902–1981) was an English footballer who played at inside-forward for various clubs in the 1920s.

Football career[link]

Matthews was born at Wallsend and as a teenager played for various colliery teams in his native north east before starting his professional career with Blackpool of the Football League Second Division in May 1922.^[1] With Matt Barrass well established at inside-left, Matthews was unable to break into the first team and moved on to Second Division rivals, Barnsley, in the summer of 1923.^[1]

At Barnsley, Matthews replaced Russell Wainscoat at inside-left after Wainscoat left to join Middlesbrough in December 1923. After two seasons at Oakwell, during which he made a total of 35 appearances, Matthews moved to the south coast to join another Second Division club, Southampton in May 1925.

Matthews initially played in the reserves but made his Southampton debut away to Sheffield Wednesday on 12 December 1925, when he replaced the out of favour Cliff Price at inside-left. Matthews scored on his home debut a week later, in a 2–1 defeat to Stoke City. For the remainder of the 1925–26 season he made the inside-left berth his own, linking up well with Jimmy Carr on the wing.^[2]

For the following season, manager Arthur Chadwick embarked on a massive team rebuilding and signed several new players, including Dick Rowley, Alf Bishop and Sammy Taylor all of whom could play in either of the inside-forward positions. After trying first Rowley and then Bishop at inside-left, Chadwick recalled Matthews for three games in September, before moving Taylor over from the right, with Rowley returning at inside-right.^[3] Taylor retained his place for the rest of the season, at the end of which Matthews was transfer listed for a fee of £50.^[1]

In the summer of 1927, Matthews was recruited by the former Southampton team captain Alec Campbell as one of his first signings following his appointment as manager of Chesterfield of the Third Division North. After making only two appearances for Chesterfield, Matthews returned to the north east, dropping back into non-league football.

References[link]